Press Release from North Korea Freedom Coalition
North Korea Freedom Week to Be Held in Seoul April 25-May 1
— see also Human Rights Group Launches “North Korea: 50,000 for 50,000” Campaign
(Apr 14 2010) Seoul…North Korea Freedom Week will kick off on April 25 as a week to promote the freedom, human rights, and dignity of the North Korean people. The event, which has been organized by the North Korea Freedom Coalition annually since 2004 in Washington, D.C., will be held for the first time in Seoul, South Korea. North Korean defectors and South Korean leaders and activists are organizing exhibits, a major rally, seminars, press conferences, prayer vigils and other events all focused on highlighting the misery the Kim Jong-il regime has inflicted on the people of North Korea, as well as citizens of South Korea, Japan and other countries.
NKFW 2010 will begin with a prayer service hosted by the North Korean defector churches and the opening of the North Korea Genocide Exhibit and will conclude with a balloon launch from the DMZ which will include radios, money, and a special message about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The message will point out that the same year the United Nations adopted this declaration in 1948 was the same year that Kim Il Sung came to power to ensure that North Koreans were denied every single one of these universally accepted rights.
“With the increasing ability for North Koreans to learn about the outside world, it is fitting that North Korea Freedom Week will be held in South Korea for the first time,” said Kim Seung Min of Free North Korea Radio. “North Koreans are increasingly finding out that their misery is a direct result of the Kim Jong-il regime, not South Korea and America as we were brainwashed from birth to believe.”
Special events during the week will focus on the North Korean gulag, the trafficking of North Korean women, the abduction by the regime of South Korean and Japanese citizens, and other topics.
Dr. Hyunuk Kim, who is chairing the Rally for North Korea Freedom Week, added, “Our songs and prayers for freedom and human rights in North Korea from Seoul will be heard around the world and in North Korea, leading to a dramatic change in North Korean society.” Describing North Korea as the world’s coldest land and the world’s largest gulag, Dr. Kim said, “We must keep moving forward and strong until we meet the day when the spring sunshine finally finds itself in North Korea.”
Warning that it was a crime to remain apathetic in the face of one of the world’s worst human rights violations in history, Professor Yon Hee Lee, who is organizing the NKFW prayer vigil, warned, “We cannot remain silent as this tragedy continues or we will face God’s judgment.”
“Our hope is that North Korea Freedom Week will empower the 17,000 strong North Korean defectors in South Korea, awaken the consciousness of the world that the human rights conditions in North Korea must be addressed, and inform all who are suffering north of the DMZ that we will work together until the day their freedom, human rights and dignity are realized,” said Seoul Peace Prize Laureate, Suzanne Scholte, who is Co-Chairing NKFW with Professor Hwang Jang-yop.
“We are very proud that so many defectors, who have been part of the North Korea Freedom Week delegations each year, are now taking the lead in sponsoring events throughout the week, and we are deeply grateful to the South Korean NGOs and leaders who are also organizing events,” she added.
Simultaneously with events being held in Seoul, Open Doors-USA, will be organizing prayer events for North Korea throughout the USA.
A complete list of events follows below.
NORTH KOREA FREEDOM WEEK 2010 SEOUL, KOREA
Sunday, April 25 – Saturday, May 1
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
[Week-long event] Sunday, April 24th to Saturday, May 1st
ALL DAY EVENT – North Korea Human Rights Exhibit
Every Day — 10 AM – 5 PM North Korea “Ah, the Warm Country in the South!” (The North Korea Genocide Exhibit)
Host: North Korea Genocide Exhibit, Moon Gook Han (sgf2002@hanmail.net)
Location: Seoul Gallery, Seoul Press Center 1st Floor
Transportation: Subway – Line 1 or 2, City Hall Station Exit 4; Line 5, Gwanghwamun Station Exit 5
[Week-long event] Sunday, April 25th to Saturday, May 1st
ALL DAY EVENT – North Korea Human Rights Photo Exhibit
Host: NKHR Young Adult’s Coalition, Han Nam Soo/Strategy Center Youth Group, Choi Young Jin
Location: Various colleges/universities in Seoul
[Throughout the week during NKFW2010]
Sunday, April 25th
2PM – 4PM Prayer Service led by North Korean Defector churches
Hosts: North Korean Church Coalition, Pastor Kang Cheol Ho of Saetu Church (kangch214@hanmail.net); Pastor Lim Chang Ho of Jangdaehyun Church (limchangho@gmail.com); New Pyongyang Full Gospel Church
Location: Saeteo Church, Shinjung-Dong 337 Mokdong 2Cha Woosung APT B-sangga 4th Floor
Transportation: Subway – Line 5, Mok Dong Station Exit 5; Line 2, Yangcheon-Gu Office Station and then Bus – no. 6617 Last Stop
3 PM – Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for North Korea Human Rights Exhibit
“Ah, the Warm Country in the South!” (The North Korea Genocide Exhibit)
Host: North Korea Geneocide Exhibit, Moon Gook Han
Location: Seoul Gallery, Seoul Press Center 1st Floor
Transportation: Subway – Line 1 or 2, City Hall Station Exit 4; Line 5, Gwanghwamun Station Exit 5
Monday, April 26th
10AM – NK Gulag Inmate List Press Release & Witness Testimony
Host: NK Gulag, Kim Tae Jin, Jung Gwang Il, Jee Hae Lee (jhlee.nkgulag@gmail.com)
Location: Seoul Press Center, 19th Floor
Transportation: Subway – Line 1 or 2, City Hall Station Exit 4; Line 5, Gwanghwamun Station
2PM – North Korean Human Rights Digital Screening
Host: Abductee & Defectors Human Rights Coalition, ICCNK, Do Hee Yoon
Location: Seoul Metro Art Gallery, Hyehwa Metro Station
Transportation: Subway – Line 4, Hyehwa Station
Tuesday, April 27th
ALL DAY 10AM – POW/Abductee, Abduction-related Conference
Host: POW/Abductee Int’l Coalition, Lee Mi Il (milee625@hanmail.net), Professor Nishioka
Location: NK Democracy Committee Office, Gang-Nam-Gu Nonhyeon-Dong 216-2 Harim B/D 4TH Floor
Transportation: Subway – Line 7, Hakdong station
Time TBD – Open Invitation Forum:
“Kim Jong Il Regime’s Inhumane & Savage Rule: Elite North Korean Defectors’ Testimonies”
Host: ICCNK, NK Intellectuals Solidarity, Do Hee Yoon (dhy21c@hanmail.net), Kim Heung Gwang
Location: Seoul Press Center, 20th Floor
Transportation: Subway – Line 1 or 2, City Hall Station Exit 4; Line 5, Gwanghwamun Station Exit 5
5PM – Suzanne Scholte’s Special Lecture at Sejong University
Host: Sejong University (w3@sejong.ac.kr)
Location: Sejong University, Seoul
Transportation: Subway – Line 7, Children’s Grand Park Station
Wednesday, April 28th
1:30PM – North Korean Women Defectors Human Rights Seminar
Host: CNKWR Coalition for North Korean Women’s Rights, Kang Su Jin (frogreen79@naver.com)
Location: National Assembly Building, Yoido
Transportation: Subway – Line 9, National Assembly Station
2:30PM – National Rally for North Korea Freedom Week 2010
Host: International Forum for Foreign Policy & National Security, Dr. Kim Hyunwook (khubosco@hanmail.net)
Location: Seoul Station
Transportation: Subway – Lines 1 & 4, Seoul Station
Wednesday, April 28th to Saturday May 1st
2PM – Reading the Names of 8,400 Abductee & POWs (Pep-Rally & Name Reading)
Host: Abductee & Defectors Human Rights Coalition, ICCNK, Do Hee Yoon (dhy21c@hanmail.net), Bae Jae Hyun (mission2china@hanmail.net)
Location: Pagoda Park, Jongno-Gu
Transportation: Subway – Lines 1,3,5, Jongno-3-ga Station
Thursday, April 29th
7:30AM – North Korean Human Rights Forum (Guest Speaker: Suzanne)
Host: International Forum for Foreign Policy & National Security, Dr. Kim Hyunwook (khubosco@hanmail.net)
Location: Karak Hotel, 2nd Floor
Transportation: Subway – Lines 8, Karak Market Station
1PM – Debate for Human Rights of North Korean Defectors: How Much Has Improved?
Host: Democracy Strategy Center, Kang Cheol Hwan
Location: Community Chest of Korea, Jung-Gu
Transportation: Subway – Line 1 or 2, City Hall Station Exit 3, 12; Line 5, Gwanghwamun Station Exit 6
8PM – North Korean Human Rights Prayer Vigil
Host: International Forum for Foreign Policy & National Security, ICCNK (khubosco@hanmail.net)
Location: Balsandong Catholic Church
Transportation: Subway – Line 5, Ujangsan Station Exit 3
Friday, April 30th
10AM – Protest at the Embassy of China in Seoul
Host: NKFW2010 Planning Committee
Location: Chinese Embassy, 54, Hyoja-Dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul
Transportation: Subway – Line 3, Gyeonbokgung Station
1PM – North Korea Human Rights Act-related International Conference
Host: PSCORE People for Successful COrean REunification , Kim Young Il (youngilkim78@naver.com)
Location: Seoul Press Center, 20th Floor
Transportation: Subway – Line 1 or 2, City Hall Station Exit 4; Line 5, Gwanghwamun Station
4PM – Crossing Screening & Lecture of NK Defector
Host: Student Group of Yonsei University (yeahys@hanmail.net)
Location: Yonsei University
Transportation: Subway, Line 2, Sinchon Station
6:30PM – Meeting with Chairperson of National Human Rights Commission of Korea, Byung-Chul HYUN
Participators: Suzanne and other 6 people
8PM – North Korea Freedom Week 2010 Prayer Vigil
Host: Esther Prayer Movement for North Korea, Professor Lee Yong Hee (yhlee@kyungwon.ac.kr)
Location: Shinil Church, Joong-Gu Shin-Dang 4-Dong, 347-298, Seoul
Transportation: Subway – Line 3, 6, Yaksu Station; Line 5, Cheonggu Station
Saturday, May 1st
Afternoon [Exact Time TBD] – Balloon Launch into North Korea
Host: Fighters for Free North Korea FFNK, Park Sang Hak (berojapark@hanmail.net)
Location: Freedom Bridge, Imjingak, Paju City, Kyonggi Province
Transportation: Gyeongui Rail Line, Imjingak Station
FOR USA – OPEN DOORS NKFW RELATED EVENTS, VISIT http://members.opendoorsusa.org/images/content/pagebuilder/NK2010/
FOR NKFW UPDATES VISIT WWW.NKFREEDOM.ORG AND HTTP://CAFE.NAVER.COM/NKFW